Sleep is for the Weak
by spinzgirl
Summary: Being a parent is tough, especially when you're exhausted.


The clock told the cruel reality. A mere twenty dobashes had past since Allura finished feeding her infant daughter, Fala, and yet the rustling coming from the bassinet near the bed gave her an ominous feeling. The small hiccup that often preceded a pitiful cry made Allura curl in on herself.

 _Please let it just be gas_ she thought to herself, trying to remember the last time she had gotten a solid night's sleep. Soon the baby's wail let her know that whatever it was, it wasn't going to pass anytime soon. Allura looked to the man sleeping next to her for any sign of rousing.

Keith didn't make a move, which made her think he was sleeping too soundly to hear. Still, she decided to count from ten to see if he'd give her a break and take care of Fala instead. Allura lay motionless, ticking off the numbers slowly as she hoped for a reprieve.

 _Three...two...one.._

Still nothing. Maybe she'd count once again. She needed sleep desperately.

Finally, as she began counting she felt the bed shift. Keith slid out of bed as quietly as possible, most likely believing his wife was asleep. His footsteps padded lightly to her side of the bed, and the scrape of fingernails against cloth meant he was scooping Fala up from her crib.

Once the door opened and closed the Princess finally let out a sigh of relief. She felt a bit guilty about pretending to be out cold, but the bed was cozy and she was exhausted. Grabbing Keith's still-warm pillow to cuddle, she soon drifted off to get as much sleep as was possible before they returned.

When Allura awoke she felt refreshed for the first time in a long time. Maybe she'd managed to get a varaga or two of sleep after all. Her hand reached over to Keith's side of the bed. It was stone cold and there was no sign of him anywhere. Allura jerked up to look into the crib and saw that Fala wasn't there, either.

A quick check of the time made her heart jump. It had been eight vargas! _What on Altea have they been doing this whole time?_

The Princess quickly dressed and ran to the control room, checking every nook and cranny on her way. Nothing. Her heart was racing faster than it ever had during any battle with the Galra. When she arrived on deck she found Coran looking curiously at the dash.

"Have you seen Keith and Fala?" she asked frantically.

"Ah, so that's why the pod is missing," he replied in an annoyingly nonchalant manner. At least it seemed so to her at the time. "Did he not tell you they were leaving?"

"No, he didn't. And when I find him I'm going to kill him!"

"See babe, I told you that we should wait a bit longer to have kids." Allura turned to see Lance and Pidge, who had apparently heard her scrambling through the hallway and followed her to the bridge. Lance's comment drew a side-eyed glare from the Green paladin.

"Well Lance, you are a bigger idiot than Keith so I guess that makes sense," Pidge shot back at him. They'd only been married recently, and after seeing what having kids was like they were in no rush to start a family.

"Coran, clear a pod for me, I'm going to look for them," the distressed Princess commanded.

She made her way quickly to the hangar and was preparing to board one of the craft when the bay door opened. The shuttle carrying Keith and their daughter eased in slowly and landed more gently than Allura had ever seen. She stomped angrily toward the ship, ready to give her errant husband an earful, when she noticed that the baby was sound asleep in her carrier.

Keith unfastened the modified seat and passed it over to Allura before climbing out of the cockpit. The second his feet hit the floor she sneered at him before angrily whispering, "And just where have you been this whole time?"

His face showed surprise and he leaned towards her ear to respond. "This was the only way I could get her to sleep. I've tried to come back five times, but as soon as the pod slowed down she started crying again."

"Fine, but why didn't you tell someone you were leaving?"

"I told Hunk. He was on duty last night and he was supposed to call you at eight to let you know."

"Well, he didn't," Allura hissed through her teeth. Now Keith was off the hook but Hunk was going to pay, big time.

The two scoured the castle to find the Yellow paladin. Eventually they checked the kitchen, which they belatedly realized was the most obvious place to find him, and sure enough he was passed out at the table, a jar of food goo in one hand and a dirty knife in the other.

"Hunk!" Allura screamed as she slammed her palm on the table. The sudden noise caused him to sit straight up, a half-eaten slice of bread stuck to his cheek.

"Wh-Wha?" he stuttered, blinking his eyes rapidly in an attempt to focus them.

Unfortunately the sound also roused the sleeping infant. Allura looked apologetically at Keith, whose shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I am not going back out there," he moaned, stifling a yawn.

"Don't worry, you won't have to," Allura replied flatly. "Hunk has just volunteered for babysitting duty."

With that she set the carrier with the crying child down at Hunk's feet and grabbed Keith's hand, pulling him towards the door.

"Wait," Hunk called out after them. "Where are you two going?"

"Back to bed," was her response as they disappeared down the hallway.


End file.
